"At Broadgate, No 1 Finsbury Avenue set the aesthetic standard, almost single-handedly, for a new breed of speculative office buildings. Its elegant, open, well-lit atrium brought an unusual element in speculative offices but provided the building with, as it were, an internal series of faŤades. Offices were grouped around the internal glazed courtyard, the steel and glass roof over which brought daylight to all these users. High ceilings in these offices were also an unusual and welcome feature and were a direct response to the new requirements of raised floors for the highly sophisticated and complicated services required by the new technology. Suspended ceilings contain the ductwork for the lighting and air conditioning. The dark metallic appearance of the exterior of the building with its sunbreakers and diagonal rods provides a telling contrast to the well-lit and light appearance of the interior. The faŤades have been landscaped with trees and shrubs in a careful and well thought out manner."

— Dennis Sharp. Twentieth Century Architecture: a Visual History. p381.

Details

Address: No. 1 Finsbury Avenue